Pig Out brings out sizzlin' competition, new top winner

Victor will spend the next year with members of Que & A Half Men Competition BBQ Team of Rockland, Ma., after they were given top prize during annual Troy Pig Out in RiverFront Park Sunday, July 14, 2013 in Troy. Team members (l-r) Maura, Abbi, 5, Sue and Brian Martin and Bill Minahan, pit master. (J.S.Carras/The Record)

TROY -- The sizzle of the grill and the savory smell of barbecue greeted thousands of visitors to Riverfront Park on Sunday, who were attracted by the promise of a plethora of pork-themed delights at the sixth annual Troy Pig Out.

Those visitors braved a heat wave to partake in a wonderland of pork delights, by both vendors and the competitive BBQ teams. Sunday saw this year's grand champions bestowed with a life-size golden pig by the name of Victor, the traditional Pig Out prize.

"I've seen pictures of Victor at lake houses, I believe he went to a baseball game in Boston, he goes all over," said Elizabeth Young, a Pig Out organizer and director of the downtown BID. "Please, if you win Victor, show him the world."

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Victor may now be destined for a tour of the northeast -- at the very least. He is in the hands -- or rather the trailer -- of Que and a Half Men, a competition barbecue team hailing from Rockport, Mass.

The team will soon be on their way to the South County Balloon Festival at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island, part of the more than a dozen competitions the team is aiming to compete in this year.

Relative newcomers to the Pig Out, this past weekend was the family team's second time competing.

Until Sunday, they had not been faring especially well in this season's competitions.

"We had a good cook, but we had good cooks two weeks ago [at Old Orchard Beach in Maine] and we got tenth place," said Bill Minahan, pit master for Que and a Half Men. "We try to be good at everything. Last year our pork and our chicken did really good. This year it's the ribs in the brisket, but we're fighting to better the other ones. Obviously, today we did pretty well."

The grand winner was chosen by 50 judges licensed by the Kansas City Barbecue Society who based their scores on taste, appearance, and texture. "No one expects to win one of these," said Minahan.

While Que and a Half Men took home the overall prize, as well as best beef brisket, they were not the only winners.

Among the winners from other competitions were ZBQ, from Cumberland, Rhode Island, which took home the prize for best chicken; Smokin' Hoggz took home the prize for best pork ribs; and the Purple Pork Masters took home best pork butt and shoulder.

Yet the real winners may have been those that tried some of the award-winning barbecue.

Having sought shade in the sweltering heat, Bill Gustafson and his friend Colleen, both from Albany, were enjoying a three-meat platter from the Jacked Up BBQ team. "We're really digging the brisket, but the candied bacon, it's mind blowing," said Gustafson. "Imagine the coating of a candied apple, but with bacon underneath."

"It's out of control," added Colleen. "I could probably eat a pound of that, and I'll risk the heart attack. It's the perfect amount of sweet and salt."

The pair were looking forward to moving on to the bacon-flavored cotton candy, offered by 9 First Street, and then the chocolate covered bacon.

At their feet was a puppy, Bear, a St. Bernard-Beagle mix Colleen found at the Hudson Valley Animal Rescue in Poughkeepsie. He was "looking forward" to -- possibly -- nibbling on some of the puppy-friendly food, said Colleen.

While those that stopped by the Pig Out were able to have their yearnings for pork fill-in-the-blank sated, everyone else who could not attend will have to wait until next year, as the vendors have headed home and the teams will soon be onto their next competition.